Immigrant tuition law challenged in California

[Thom Little]

Sparked by a former California congressman, a class-action lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Yolo County Superior Court challenging a state law allowing undocumented immigrants to pay in-state tuition at public universities.

Former U.S. Rep. Brian Bilbray, a San Diego Republican currently running for the vacated seat of Randy "Duke" Cunningham, initiated the suit by complaining after his children were charged out-of-state tuition at a community college after moving to California from Virginia.

Bilbray contends it is fundamentally unfair for his two adult children, Briana, 19, and Patrick, 20, to be charged the higher out-of-state rate while some undocumented immigrants are eligible for much lower tuition fees.

The class-action suit, filed on behalf of more than 60,000 students, targets legislation signed into law in 2001 by then-Gov. Gray Davis. The measure allows non-resident students - whether legal citizens or not - to pay in-state tuition if they meet specified criteria, including attending a California high school for at least three years and either graduating or attaining its equivalent.


http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/13978178p-14811934c.html